Previous panheads have lacked an easy adjustment by which the resistance to movement of the panning swivel could be easily adjusted without disassembling the panhead, so as to eliminate loose play between the stationary base of the panhead and the panning body which is swiveled to the base for horizontal rotation. Japanese Patent Office Bulletin No. 19433.1985 is exemplary of this shortcoming in the prior art. In order to obtain a suitable resistance to panning movement in this previous panhead, very precise manufacturing tolerances and assembly was required which in turn lowered manufacturing productivity while increasing the ultimate cost of the device.
In still another prior art panhead disclosed in Japanese Patent Office Bulletin No. 133294,1985, the movable panning support is held to the stationary base of the panhead by means of a nut which can be tightened or loosened to adjust the resistance to panning movement. However, the nut is enclosed in the base of the unit and covered by a bottom plate which has to be removed before access to this nut can be gained. The result is considerable inconvenience in making such adjustment once the unit has been assembled. Any final adjustments require disassembly and therefore reduced factory productivity.
In such prior art units, as the panning resistance of the panhead is not readily adjusted, the swivel assembly became either too tight or excessively loose and in order to avoid this outcome precise manufacturing tolerances were required at substantial cost in productivity and labor expense. Even where a tightening function was provided in the prior art units, access was restricted. A continuing need therefore exists for a readily accessible and easy to make adjustment by which the tightness or resistance to movement of the panning, movable support element of the panhead can be effected relative to the stationary base of the unit. Such adjustment should not complicate the construction or assembly of the panhead nor significantly increase its cost.